Ancestor Soup

Friday, April 4, 2025
The Map
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Roots of Resilience
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Ella Monsen Christensen |
Ella’s
destination was Howard, South Dakota to the home of her paternal aunt, Ingeborg
Rye. While I was happy to find so many details about Ella’s life, which was my
primary goal, what I found as a backstory was even more interesting.
Aunt
Ingeborg immigrated March 1, 1889 as a 35-year-old single woman. She married a homesteader, Ole Rye, and they
settled down on his farm in Miner County, South Dakota. Eleven months later, she gave birth to their
only child, a boy named Ole, and five days after that her husband died. She was suddenly left as a single immigrant
woman with a newborn, and no means of support but a homesteaded farm. So what
did she do? She farmed. With a baby.
In fact, in 1892, she “proved up” the homestead and her farm was granted
to her free and clear. In 1904 her niece
Ella came to the United States to her Aunt Ingeborg and there she not only learned English, but probably a whole lot about digging deep and doing what you
need to do to make it in this world. Eventually
Ella moved to nearby Huron, and Aunt Ingeborg and
her son continued to farm for at least another 20 years.
This
is what I love about family history. I
want my granddaughters to know that they come from strong roots and that there
are some remarkable women in their ancestry.
Friday, March 21, 2025
Four Dollars and a Dream - The Story of Peter Christensn - Part 6 - The End
Part 6 of Pete's Story - read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here.
On New Year’s Day, 1952, life took a major change again. Their daughter Sylvia and her family had come to Gardena for lunch and while Ella was fixing the potatoes she got dizzy, so Sylvia had her lay down for a while. Ella fell asleep and when Sylvia had checked in with her about 4:00 p.m. Ella said her leg had “gone to sleep” and her hand felt funny, so they called the doctor who came right out to the house. He said it was just the flu and she’d be fine in a few days. The neighbor, Gretchen, who was close to Pete and Ella, said she had the same thing happen but her hand kept going to sleep and it lasted for about 24 hours. By this time Ella was feeling better, and feeling encouraged at the flu diagnosis, as she had feared it was a stroke or something else more serious. No one was overly concerned, and the neighbor offered to look in on Ella when Pete was at work the following day. Several days later Ella was still paralyzed but could move her fingers a little. Pete would take care of her first thing in the morning and then Gretchen would come over and get Ella’s breakfast and help her get dressed. Gretchen would come back and get lunch, and Pete was typically home by 3:00 p.m. and take over then. They came to realize that this was not the flu, but a stroke as Ella had feared. They got her a wheelchair and in it she could maneuver around the house a little, and she began improving fairly quickly. She had regained use of her right arm except for her fingers. She could hold things but was unable to write, and still unable to walk. Gretchen made her do as much as she could for herself to keep her muscles exercised, and Ella took a great deal of pride every time she could do a little more on her own. Pete, to everyone’s surprise, not only took care of Ella but everything else that needed to be done in an impressive manner. He cooked all the meals and kept the kitchen “spic and span.” They may have spent their married lives fighting and arguing but no one took better care of her when she needed it.
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After the death of her mother, Pete’s daughter Lillian felt it was her duty to move to California and take care of her father. Her husband Bill put his farm up for rent and the family packed what they needed and drove to California. The plan was for them to live with Pete and for Lillian to take care of him and the house. Bill got a job where Pete worked, but for a man who had spent his entire life taking care of his crops and livestock, working an assembly line in the city was devastating. But Lillian was very much like her father – of strong constitution – and felt very strongly that they needed to do the right thing by her father.
The kids had wonderful memories of their time in Gardena. Pete took them to museums, zoos, to the beach, and encouraged them to read books from his large collection. He had a very docile old white horse that he kept for the kids to ride. One of his favorite things to do was go to the beach and go diving for shells. The kids were amused with him standing on his head with his feet sticking out of the water. The boys loved spending so much time outside, and the girls loved their “grown-up” city high school. But the adults were not so happy with the arrangement. Pete could be quite difficult to get along with and liked to be in control. He had gone from living a quiet life to having two extra adults and four rambunctious kids underfoot. Lillian didn’t appreciate his rigid stubbornness and desire to control everything. Bill was never good enough in Pete’s mind, even though he gave up everything meaningful in his life (except his family) to take care of Pete, and Pete liked to bicker with them in return. Shortly after the first of the year, 1953, Bill, Lillian and their kids packed up their car and left Gardena to go back to their previous life.
Pete loved it at Edna’s. He and Edna had one major thing in common – they both liked to fish, so they went as often as they could. Due to his physical limitations, he had to fish while sitting on the bank and he didn’t catch a lot of fish that way. But when he did, there was abundant black bass and trout. Pete said Edna was a good nurse, helping him dress every morning and making sure he was eating. As a bonus, Edna’s little grandson kept him entertained.
He did miss being able to do any meaningful work – as this was the first time in his life that he couldn’t garden or do any outdoor work at all.
As the months passed by, Pete was not improving. He wanted to visit in South Dakota, and Edna’s husband was trying to trade a piece of land for a 4-passenger plane. If he could make that happen, they’d look at a trip to South Dakota. But he needed help getting in and out of the car, and moved extremely slowly. He couldn’t walk much and had balance issues, plus his memory was failing. He wanted to try to exercise but the doctor said it’s too hard on his heart. His legs swell up when he walks, but he was glad he was not in any real pain. The trip from Gardena to Harlingen had been hard enough, and his health had certainly not improved, so they were unable to make the trip to South Dakota. He told Lillian that Johnny and Edna take good care of him and he really feels they want him there.
His diabetes continued to be a problem. He would pass out and need to be helped up off the floor. He admitted it’s hard to know if he’s taking too much or too little insulin and he would pass out either way, and it was difficult for the family to know exactly what to do. On one occasion he was out cold for two hours, so he could not be left alone at all.
Friday, March 14, 2025
Four Dollars and a Dream - The Story of Peter Christensn - Part 5 - California
Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here
There’s not a lot of indication of why the decision was made – perhaps he was tired of the ups and downs of farming, or perhaps he was tired of the often brutally cold weather of South Dakota. Or maybe he just wanted to retire, as he was 62 years old. Later on, Pete mentioned in a letter to his daughter, “I’m sorry to hear you are having a bad winter in S. Dakota. You know I believe life is too short to put up with it” which might be a good indication of his motives. Regardless, they had no clear plans of what they were going to do next, except to get in the car and start driving.
Their first destination was Iowa to visit his cousins who still lived in the same area where Pete lived after immigration. After a short visit there, it was onward to Harlingen, Texas at the end of November, where their daughter Edna lived. Pete fell in love with the area, but Ella did not, as she mentioned in a letter, “I’m afraid I’m stuck here.” She wondered how long it would be before her husband bought property and how much he’d “sink into it.” She wrote, “He is sure not going to sink anything that belongs to me in it till I’ve been here long enough to see how I like it. I still want my trip to California, but won’t be a bit surprised if I don’t (get it).” They had looked at houses the week before and found a really nice one, furnished, with a good shady fenced in yard and Pete fell in love with it. Ella said, “I don’t believe I’ll be able to get him out of Texas.” The only thing that appealed to Pete more than living in this beautiful home in Texas was the price. They wanted $7,000 for it, but he wanted to get it for $6,000. Ella told him if he was successful, she’d live there. Thanks to Pete’s frugal nature and the unwillingness of the seller to budge, Ella was off the hook.
One thing about Texas that Ella was impressed with was how they did laundry. She said, “There are places where they use machines and get hot water and wash. It’s kind of handy when you can get a washing machine.”
Next on their traveling itinerary was California, to be followed by Medford, Oregon. The trip to California was not a surprise, as Ella really wanted to visit there and Pete’s sisters Katrina and Laura were there. But Medford, Oregon is a mystery and it doesn’t appear they ever made it there.
Within a month, they had found a house in Gardena, California and purchased it but were unable to get their utilities turned on right away so they stayed a few days at Katrina’s. Pete told of their adventure with their car –
“I suppose Mother told you about our bad luck with the car, but I know she really didn’t know how it happened so I’ll tell you, ha ha. We went out to Silver Lake, that is where my sister Katrine is living. We stayed there all night as we didn’t have our gas and electricity turned on. So in the morning we went out to our car, it was parked on a hillside, almost a mountain. The brake alone would stop it from going downhill so I left it in low gear. You know it was foggy in the evening so the windshield was clouded over. I got a rag and started to clean it off. Mother climbed in the car. And first thing I knew the car started downhill, very slowly at first. She tried to get out but was afraid to let go of the car. There she was half out and half in, and I had to pull hard on her to make her let go. It’s a wonder she did not get hurt. You know when she got in the car she pushed the lever with her legs and got it out of gear. Next time I’m going to leave it in reverse. The car went across the street and dropped about 10 ft then over another garage and a drop almost straight down of about 20 ft and landed up against a house. It made a big dent in the wall of the house. I’m glad it was not a brick wall. The car never even turned over. A Ford can really take it. Estimated damage to car $180.00 The man who owns the house claims damage to house and lot $3000. A darn good thing I had insurance, don’t you think? It cost $25 to get the car hoisted up to the street again with a crane and 2 trucks. I was able to run the car after it was pulled up. It had one crumpled fender, two damaged running boards, 3 broken windows, broken grill and bent bumper. I’m sure it could never do that again, and be able to run.“
Meanwhile, Pete and Ella were busy getting their new house set up to their liking. The first order of business for Pete was putting in a garden, and he was happy his radishes were already coming up. Ella went to Los Angeles and bought a new rug for the front room, spending $140 which in today’s money is $2,270! Ella had her own money, so Pete obviously knew better than to argue about it, but he did say, “I can see where I’ll have to stay in the kitchen or walk on newspaper, ha ha!”
Their house was just built the year before, as were the others in the neighborhood. There were no trees or bushes, and only a few flowers planted. It was 6 miles to several beaches, 14 miles to Los Angeles and 14 miles to Long Beach. Gardena experienced a big spurt in building, and a big supermarket was about 1 mile from them where two years prior there was nothing at all. They lived 1 ½ blocks away from a smaller grocery store.
A farmer from South Dakota finding himself on a Los Angeles freeway must have been an interesting situation. In Pete’s words: “You should try to drive a car in San Diego or Los Angeles. They pass you on both sides and if you have to make a right or left turn, and aren’t in the right place it’s just too bad. They are smashing cars every day. I don’t want a new care for awhile.” His sisters Laura and Katrina and their families were helping them get settled and making them feel at home. They also got a little dog named Pee Wee, who slept in a box in the kitchen.
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Pete planting his garden |
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Ella sitting on the steps of their lovely home in Gardena |
Pete and Ella got a TV early in 1952 and both enjoyed it, but it did contribute to the bickering between them. In Pete’s words, “Your Ma is working the television right now as I’m writing. She sure likes it, and so do I. But we can’t always agree on what to look at. I like comedy and she likes something emotional. I tell her I don’t care to listen to other people’s imaginary troubles. I want something funny and I like sports. Boxing and rasling [wrestling].”
To be continued...
Friday, March 7, 2025
Four Dollars and a Dream - The Story of Peter Christensen - Part 4 - The Farm
Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here
To be continued...
Friday, February 28, 2025
Four Dollars and a Dream - The Story of Peter Christensen - Part 3 - Bell Bakery
Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here
1907 and 1908 were the years of change for Pete. In 1907 he traveled to California, planting seeds for what would later become a major change in direction, and in 1908 he went back to Denmark. Why he returned isn’t known, but when he re-entered the U.S. he was listed as a “non-immigrant alien.” He arrived back in Iowa in March. Sometime in this time period he met Clarence H. Bell, a bakery owner in Missouri Valley, Iowa. How they made their acquaintance isn’t apparent. Missouri Valley is about 25 miles from Council Bluffs. Bell, a 38-year-old business man teamed up with the 24-year-old baker and they went into business together. In 1908 they bought the City Bakery in Huron, South Dakota, a location neither man had ties to, but the City Bakery was a good acquisition after a number of failures for previous owners. Bell explained, “I first saw the town in 1908. I had come up to South Dakota from Missouri Valley, Iowa, where I had been in the bakery business for 10 years. I felt that this state showed great possibilities, so I looked several cities over and finally decided on Huron. Huron didn’t have a bakery then, and I knew I could make money there. It kept me hopping about 16 hours a day, and a half a day on Sunday.”
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Bell Bakery is the two-story wood frame building to the left of the large Costain Music Store. |
They purchased the bakery on September 23 and relocated to Huron immediately. The Bell Bakery was open for business by October 17, advertising that they took phone orders and made deliveries, and their products were already on store shelves. Bell ran the business and Pete produced the products. Together they were a profitable team. Pete had a good work ethic and was a hard worker. The products put out by Bell Bakery were high quality, and while there were other bakeries in town over the years, Bell Bakery had no real competition.
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The Bell Bakery delivery cart, about 1909 |
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The bakers: Pete Christensen is pictured 2nd from right, and his brother Soren is 3rd from right. Photo taken about 1911. |
Pete lived in an apartment above the bakery. Two of his three brothers also became bakers, and one of them, Soren, worked and lived with Pete for 7 years. After service in World War I, Soren went on to have a lengthy and successful baking career in Omaha, Nebraska, where many members of the family had migrated to.
While Clarence Bell was an astute businessman, Pete was responsible for the products they put out. He was especially known for his Fruit-Filled Cookies and people would come from miles around for them, especially at Christmas time. His daughter, Lillian, still remembered them 50 years afterward.
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Above: The new I.O.O.F. building, with Bell Bakery on the main floor in the store front to the right. |
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The back room of the bakery. Pete is pictured at left. |
Friday, February 21, 2025
Four Dollars and a Dream - The Story of Peter Christensen - Part 2 - The Immigration
Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here
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The S. S. New York |
It was April 20, 1901 when Pete boarded the ocean liner S. S. New York from Southampton, England. Southampton was a major, established point of departure for transatlantic voyages. At the time of this boat’s launch in 1893 it was called The City of New York and was the largest and fastest ocean liner crossing the Atlantic. The massive boat was 528 feet long and 63 feet wide and could accommodate 290 first-class, 250 second class, and 725 third-class passengers. This ship, in 1912, had the notoriety of nearly colliding with the Titanic on the latter ship’s maiden voyage departing Southampton.
Pete stepped foot on American soil on April 30 after a ten-day journey. He was 16 years and 11 months old, could read and write, and claimed “farmer” as vocation. His final destination was Exira, Iowa, where surprisingly his maternal grandfather, Peder C. Larsen lived. From there, he boarded a train for Iowa.
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Peder and Jacobine Larsen |
Pete’s grandparents, Peder and Jacobina Larsen, had immigrated between 1890 and 1895 in order to join the rest of their children - Soren, Niels, Anna and Kjersten - who had come to the United States about 1886. Their daughter Elsie, Pete’s mother, was the only one of their children opting to stay in Denmark.
It was said that Pete learned the baking trade from an uncle in Omaha, Nebraska, but there is no known uncle in Omaha at that particular time. Pete appears to have stayed in Exira until 1903, possibly helping out on his uncle and grandfather’s farm. In 1903, his older sister Katrina and her family immigrated and joined Pete in Exira. Katrina’s husband, Jens Jensen, was a baker in Denmark and established himself in that occupation in Council Bluffs, Iowa. About the same time, Pete also moved to Council Bluffs, where he learned the baking trade and worked for bakers in the city for the next four years. It is entirely possible that he apprenticed with his brother-in-law, Jens Jensen.
One by one, most of his siblings made their way to Iowa, several of them helped by Pete to immigrate, and he helped them get settled. His brother Chris and sister Katrina arrived in 1903; Laura in 1908; Caroline in 1909; Soren in 1910; and Martinas in 1911 and Mary sometime before 1919. Only Gjertrud stayed behind in Denmark.
Back in Denmark, Pete’s mother Elsie married Jens Eriksen, a neighbor 11 years her junior, and the two of them also immigrated in 1911, settling in Omaha, Nebraska, across the river from Council Bluffs.
To be continued...